Many clients come to me looking for Reportage style photography, and I advise the following. Obviously wedding and funerals are the only time that families really get together and it is important that the group shots are done as its a great record of family, and they all look their best!

I have met couples in the past who have said to me that they do not want any group shots but on the day, the story changes as Grandparents and parents and even the bride and groom decide that they would like the group shot, so its better to have an agreed understanding that at some point you will ‘do these shots’ and this helps plan the day as well.

Unfortunately though, unless handled well, they can also be the most stressful photographs of the day, not least to the bride and groom and the photographer!

Quite often the ‘guests and potential group you want to shoot are poised and ready waiting and wanting to do the confetti shot, its at this time you should take advantage that all the guests are in the same place at the same time and granddad is not propping up the bar!

So a good plan would be to simply announce your intentions to the guests, even state that this is the least favorite part for you guys as I know you want to get to the bar, watch them nod in agreement! and tell them that you appreciate them taking a short while to get these all important shots for the bride and groom, people are only to pleased to help.

A good tip is to create a walkway for the bride and groom to come down and get covered in confetti, as the bride and groom walk down, the space behind automatically closes!, and the bride and groom are there in front of the main group, before you know it hey presto, there is the group shot with the bride and groom central and they don’t even realise they have been organised.

After that you can ask the main family members and stag party and hen party to remain and everyone else can go to the bar! Many stay to get the shots you organise, don’t be annul about it, let them. It is good PR and you never know who may want to book you next! also you can get the natural shots of people looking at other people taking their photograph, these are very natural and happy shots.

One of the biggest bugbears couples have about wedding photography is having to wait around whilst the group shots are taken. Taking the big groups first and then making the groups smaller and smaller, until only the bride and groom are left, means that guests are not left waiting around – and at a wedding that will be appreciated by everybody!

There are many types of unions between two people all over the world. Generally, these are termed marriages, and the ceremonies, weddings. Whatever they are called, these unions are all about finding one’s partner, mostly for life, and making a vow before someone in authority. While there are some particulars for certain types of unions across cultures and communities, these weddings continue to change in their themes.

The most familiar ceremony would be a traditional wedding with the bride wearing white, friends and family surrounding them, and plenty of flowers and food to accompany the ceremony. Over the years, these ceremonies evolved in various forms, from the most traditional to a variety of strange weddings with unusual ideas, settings or locations.

Finding a gift for these weddings could be quite difficult. After all, where does one find wedding gift for a ceremony with a Transformers theme, or one that is celebrated with ice sculptures? What could one wear and bring to the wedding of a couple who ties the knot while hanging upside-down, bungee jumping?

Most guests would then prefer to carry wedding cards, instead of gifts, for the couple soon to be wed. Wedding cards allows a guest to express his/her happiness with the bride and the groom. Moreover, cards are easy to modify or to create from scratch. They are less trouble to carry around and could only take a little effort to create.

While most wedding cards sold in stores these days come with the generic bells, doves, whites, lace, and embossed letters, suit the occasion, the newer, somewhat stranger weddings poses a challenge. It is better, in these instances, to make cards that would best fit the couple’s chosen theme.

These unusual weddings usually have a theme. Some couples choose wildly colorful characters from television, films, or from history. A couple once chose the characters from the Walt Disney movie Shrek to be the theme of their union. In this case, it is best to use the movie’s characters or elements to come up with a wedding card that the couple would be sure to remember.

There are plenty of materials in fabric and hobby stores these days that would help any guest come up with a fantastic card to tote on the special day. Their cards, when memorable and theme-appropriate, will be sure to catch the couple’s attention and would definitely convey the giver’s best wishes.

You’ve just been booked to shoot your first wedding, but beyond the usual 4 or 5 formal wedding poses you are asking yourself – “What do I take photos of?”. Well here are 21 picture ideas for Wedding Photographers. These ideas should keep your trigger finger and your clients happy.

There are 3 main parts to a wedding – before, during and after. These 21 picture ideas are broken down to cover each of these sections with 7 ideas in each.

Before The Wedding

The bride getting ready – having her hair done, putting her make-up on – you get the general idea. This is something to agree with the bride beforehand and can make a nice memento of the day.

Portrait of the groom relaxing at home before he leaves.

The bride with her family relaxing at home or at the hotel before they leave for the ceremony.

The bride with her father together in the car.

The groom chatting outside with the best man at the venue before going in.

The bride stepping out of the car.

A shot of the bride with her father outside the venue before they go in and he gives her away.

During the Wedding

The groom standing nervously inside, perhaps glancing up the aisle waiting for his bride.

The bride coming down the aisle with the bridesmaids holding the train.

Close up on the hands as the ring goes on. Of course try not to intrude, get a good vantage point and make use of your telephoto lens.

The bride and groom kissing after the vows have been said.

Bridesmaids, page boys, other children holding hands with the bride and groom in the background, slightly out of focus.

Tight shot on the bride and grooms tightly clasped hands to show off the rings.

A wide shot of the guests during the ceremony.

After the Wedding

The bride and groom coming out of the venue and getting covered in confetti or rice.

Shots of the guests expressions – Be on the lookout for candid’s, especially ones charged with emotion. These can make good black and white shots.

A photo of the decorated wedding car driving away.

The bride and groom looking into each other’s eyes – again a good black and white picture.

Close-up of the children’s faces – they are often much more expressive than adults. You may even find one pulling a funny face.

Informal candid’s of the bride and groom either together or individually chatting to others or just trying to take it all in.

Any other details that will add to the memory of the day. For example the flowers, the cake, that oversized bottle of champagne, dress details. You get the general idea.

With digital just remember you can always delete a shot later. It is better to take more that you need. You will be surprised at how often that perfect shot is the one you almost didn’t take. Things will look different once you start editing them and there is a bit of distance between you and the nervousness that you inevitably feel on the day. The more weddings you shoot the more idea you will have of what works and what does not.

A good tip for you when you are first starting out is to have an assistant. This could be a friend that is interested in photography too. The friend can go around taking the candid shots, while you concentrate on the more formal portraits and group shots. This way you will end up with a good range of pictures.

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas on what photos to take at weddings and sparked a few more ideas in you.